Father of the iPod Now Head of Google’s Consumer Hardware Division

How about this for a change of fortunes? The Information reports that Tony Fadell, who oversaw development of Apple’s iPod, is now head of Google’s consumer hardware division. Fadell isn’t the first former Apple employee to secure a prominent role over at Google, but he might wind up being one of the most important. With so much now at Fadell’s disposal—Dropcam and Nest to start—Google might be gearing up to really go after the consumer market in the coming years.

According to the report, Fadell will be in charge of Google’s future’s products and overall hardware roadmap. It’s unclear if that simply means we’ll see more Nest and Dropcam products, or if we’ll see something completely new. Google doesn’t produce much consumer hardware aside from the Chromebook Pixel and Chromecast, but with more creative freedom, perhaps Fadell will come up with another “iPod” moment.

With so many connected home gadgets at his disposal, it’s likely Fadell will focus Google’s resources into even more smart home devices. Outside of that, the possibilities are endless. There are murmurs Google could jump into health, so maybe something in that segment. Beyond that, we’ll have to see how Google’s product lineup takes shape throughout the next several months. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get a glimpse of what’s to come at Google’s I/O later this week.